


The Beginning

by speedycanary



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Arrow - Fandom, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), DCTV, Legends of Tomorrow
Genre: F/F, laurel/sara only mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-10-29 22:18:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10863219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/speedycanary/pseuds/speedycanary
Summary: The Nyssara backstory/flashbacks we deserved. The story of how Sara and Nyssa met - based after the Amazo ship went down in the Arrow season 2 flashbacks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Arrow story, and the first that I'm actually posting, so be kind.

She had woke up soaking, with sand sticking to her like the water was glue on her skin. Sara didn't know how she had survived yet another boat sinking - with her on it. She wasn't sure how long it had been since the Amazo had gone down, but she could see the wreckage ahead of her when she woke up on the shore of Lian Yu, half of it still sticking out of the North China Sea. Presumably, with Oliver still on it. Dead. Again. He was lucky, he would've had a quicker death then she was going to, for all she knew she was going to starve on that island. She couldn't quite believe she was back on the damned island - and this time, without Oliver and Slade, not that he would've been of much use with the Mirakuru still injected in him. She wished she had died on that ship, either of them.

Now, she was running.

Waking up on the sand had been a shock, but to wake up to see that there was a group of people dressed in what she could only describe as "warrior" outfits heading her way had proved even more of a surprise. She was getting used to them by now. When she opened her eyes, they were still on the opposite side of the beach, so she took her chances and raced into the forest, she hadn't known her whole way around the island yet, but she put her bets on her having a better recognition then the figures on the shore did. Although they didn't look like them, Sara couldn't risk them being more of Ivo's men. They had already got Oliver killed, and whether a quick death was what she wanted or not, she would not let him kill her too. Though she had been working with Ivo for months on the Amazo, she didn't recall any outfits like their's hauled up anywhere, and she was definitely the only female on the boat - whereas these soldiers seemed to be lead by a woman.

It wasn't until she had paced up her running that she felt the agonising pain in her leg. As she looked down, still sprinting, Sara could see the huge gape breaching across her calf, bleeding out down her ankle.

The blood started forming little patterns in the golden sand as soon as it had passed her foot. There seemed to be a certain art to it, but she had never been one to like art. Sara remembered the time her father had taken Laurel and her on a trip to a gallery in Central City - she had hated it, of course, but now there was nothing she wished for more than to be back in that gallery, with her family. They'd be ashamed of her; for going on the Queen's Gambit with Oliver, Oliver who was dating Laurel, her sister - but that wouldn't matter, as long as she was with them - as long as she was safe.

By the time she had reached the verge of the trees, the group following Sara had divided themselves into different sections of the beach, all heading for a different sector of the forest - all that Sara could seem to comprehend that they were doing was separating themselves from each other now, just to rejoin each other later by forming a circle around Sara; to surround her. To trap her. The female she had spotted previously, however, was out of sight. Nonetheless, she was still outnumbered - running through the trees, dragging one leg behind her and the other trying to force its way into safety, if that was even a possibility on this island. One wrong step and she could land face-first into one of Oliver's traps, or onto a landmine, and she honestly didn't know which would be worse.

She spun around hastily, as a voice came from behind her. "Stop running." Sara tried to catch her breathe, she was losing blood, and fast - the voice spoke again. "We are not here to harm you."

"I'll stop running when you stop lying." The female that Sara had saw earlier came out from behind one of the trees, her walk was prosperous and ample and her strides seemed like leaps compared to Sara's feeble steps. "All Ivo ever did was harm people, and I don't expect him to stop now - even if he's dead." Even as she said it, Sara didn't really believe these people were Ivo's anymore - but it didn't matter, she was only getting weaker and these people (whoever they were) were still after her. "Leave me alone!"

The female, who's outfit was different compared to the rest of the groups' she was with, furrowed her eyebrows - not at all sure of what the smaller girl was talking about. "I do not know of any Ivo." As the woman stepped one step closer, Sara stared hesitantly at the quiver that was attached to the side of her suit, clearly holding a bow and arrow set. It reminded her of Oliver. "And I cannot do that, I won't leave you here."

Her attention still focused mainly on the quiver, Sara grabbed the sharpest stick she was capable of finding momentarily on the ground. The other female had to resist a smile, which she didn't do a lot, but the naivety of this girl humoured her. The fact that she believed she even had a chance against her, with a wounded leg and what could only be described as a twig, compared to her arrows, to accompany her - but she wasn't lying. She wasn't there to harm the blonde that they had found on this island.

"Why not? Who are you?" Sara considered running again, but exhaustion had quite clearly kicked in and she wasn't sure if she'd even be able to - and it was blatantly obvious she wouldn't get far even if she had made an attempt to escape. "Who are you with?"

Now only a few steps ahead of her, Sara finally took notice of the features that this woman carried on her face. The face held a sense of broodiness and intimidation that Sara didn't recognise, and even though she was pretty sure that it was supposed to, it didn't scare her. The bottom half of her face was covered by a black shemagh that the woman wore, and Sara couldn't fathom a reason as to why this woman intrigued her so much.

"I'm Nyssa, daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Heir to the demon."

Sara wanted to laugh, that whole introduction had sounded like it was copied from some cheesy sci-fi movie she had wasted her spare cash on to watch with Laurel, but she decided laughing wasn't her best option considering her current position. On top of that, the injury on her leg was finally taking over her body, consuming her legs with numbness and giving the rest of her body a tingling sensation.

After weighing up her options, Sara replied, sensing that sarcasm was the best way to go - considering all of her other senses were dying out on her. "Right, and I'm heir to the Queen of England."

"I sense you mocking me." Nyssa creased her forehead, confused. "Am I not able to get your real identity?"

Sara sighed, she wasn't even sure if Nyssa, as she now knew, was mocking her right back, or if she was being serious. How Nyssa had interpreted her sarcasm wasn't exactly the priority in her mind right now, as her head had gone dizzy and her vision blurry. "What, you can't take a jok-?"

It was too late. Sara wasn't able to finish her sentence, as her legs fell from beneath her and it all went to darkness before she had even hit the floor. Unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote most of this chapter a while ago, and it has since been said in Arrow/Legends of Tomorrow that Nyssa was sent by Ra's to Lian Yu, rather than Nyssa finding the island whilst passing for another mission like I've written in this chapter. To save time and as it is not an important detail anyway, I decided to keep it the same as I had already written. Thanks for all the kind comments on the first chapter!

"Oliver!" Once again, the ocean gulped Sara back down. Until she opened her eyes, waking up. Nightmares. She wasn't surprised she was having them considering everything that had happened over the past year; the Queen's Gambit sinking, practically being kept as a hostage on Ivo's ship for months, surviving on Lian Yu with Oliver and Slade, and now this.

The blonde had been in and out of consciousness for most of the two days since the assassins had found her on the island, and much to Nyssa's surprise, Sara had now woken up. She made a mental note of the name Oliver, to remind herself to get more information on him at a later and more appropriate time - for reasons involving the League, of course.

Sitting up, Sara observed her new surroundings cautiously. She couldn't even begin to apprehend how she was wherever the hell it was that she had woken up. She had fallen unconscious on an island in the North China Sea, so how was she in a building, a building that appeared to be some kind of ancient temple? How was her leg wound bandaged up? Was she still dreaming?

"I'd lay back down if I were you." Nyssa pushed. "You've lost a lot of blood, and if you don't want to end up fainting again, I'd do what I say. I'm bringing you some medicine to drink now," she gestured towards the smaller girl's ankle, "it'll help with the infection."

The assassin approached the bed that the blonde girl was perched on, the shemagh no longer covering her face. She held a cup containing a strange liquid substance in her palms - Sara glanced at this 'medicine', but did not move to lay back down. Rather, she batted her right arm up, knocking the cup straight out of Nyssa's hands and causing it to shatter on the ground.

Two of the men dressed in black robe suits, the ones that Sara had previously saw chasing her on the island, walked into the room as soon as the glass had shattered against the floor - both wielding a large sword in their possession. One of them asked, "is everything okay in here? Does the prisoner need to be retained?"

Nyssa shook her head, shooing them away until they had left the room. Eventually, she focused her attention back on Sara.

"Prisoner?" The blonde began, hiding her fear as best as she could. "Why would I drink that? I don't know you." Nyssa glanced to the ground where the spillage had taken place, she'd take care of that later - right now she had more important things to take care of, her eyes revolved back up to Sara; who continued. "And I definitely don't trust you."

"You aren't a prisoner here." Nyssa sighed. "Not to me, anyway."

"Oh, great." Sara rolled her eyes. "Where exactly is here?"

"You're in Nanda Parbat." The other girl creased her eyebrows, enthusing Nyssa to elaborate. "When you collapsed on the island I found you on, my men and I brought you here," but this was still not satisfying the younger girl. "This is my home, and the home of the League of Assassins."

"I'm not stupid." Sara claimed, "and I'm not believing any of this ninja crap, okay? Tell me the truth."

"I'm an assassin, not a... 'ninja', and I have already told you. I am Nyssa, daughter of Ra's Al Ghul. Heir to the demon." Nyssa didn't understand why the smaller female was suggesting that she had been lying.

Getting frustrated, Sara responded. "Yeah, right."

The assassin struggled to understand how this girl, who had seemed so tiny and so vulnerable whilst sleeping, could confuse her so much now.

Sara decided to believe what Nyssa was saying, no matter how crazy it seemed. If this place really was the League of Assassins, whatever that was, whether she was a prisoner or not, they had - Nyssa had - saved her from the hells of Lian Yu. Though she did not understand what she was doing there.

"Can I go home now?" So much had happened, so much that she would not be able to explain to her family back home in Starling City, but it was the only thing she wanted more than anything. To be back home. For this nightmare to end.

Nyssa turned away from the other girl, ignoring the question and grabbing another cup of the medicine - hoping, praying that Sara would accept it this time. The infection wasn't too serious, but it would quickly get worse if not treated - and Nyssa didn't want this girl getting any worse.

Sara sighed. "If this place is really what you say it is, what am I here for? And who is.." She recalled what Nyssa had said earlier. "..Ra's Al Ghul?"

Once she was standing just ahead of Sara again, Nyssa held out the medicine gently, not wanting Sara to pull another 'ninja' move on her. Now that she thought about it, Sara would fit in well there, but only if she accepted the offer.

This time, Sara took the medicine, but held it to her chin for a while before finally taking a sip.

Nyssa placed herself loosely on the end of the bed that Sara was sat on. "You'll find out soon enough." When the other girl frowned, Nyssa continued. "When you have healed, you will be taken to him."

"Taken to him?" Her eyebrows still creased, Sara felt a whole new sense of fear. "Why? What does he need me for?"

Knowing that she should not give anymore information on the topic than she already had, Nyssa changed the subject. "I never got your name."

"That's because I never gave it you." Sara said, reluctant to share any details until she was completely sure that she could trust Nyssa - and right now, she didn't. She needed answers, and Nyssa still hadn't told her when she would be allowed home.

Nyssa knew that knowing her name did not matter much anyway, soon, she would be asked to give herself a new identity.

Subsiding this for now, the dark-haired woman ascended from where she was perched on the end of the bed, and calmly took the empty cup that was once filled with medicine from the other girl's hands - before placing it back on the table at the foot of the bed. It was not much, but Nyssa was relieved the blonde had at least consumed the medicine that she was given.

Prying some more, Nyssa asked; "So, that ship..." she placed herself back on the end of the bed, "...the one that was half-sunk off the shore of where I found you, were you on that, you know, when it sank? Is that how you ended up on the island?"

Although she didn't want to talk about it much, Sara didn't see the harm in telling the dark-haired woman how it was that she had ended up on that beach where they'd first laid eyes on one another.

"Yeah, I was on it." She sighed, "but that wasn't exactly how I ended up on the island, I had been on there before."

"Were you living on there?" Nyssa asked, intrigued. "On the ship, I mean."

"No, no." She shook her head slightly. "Well, at some point, I guess - yeah." Sara recalled being kept on the Amazo for months, she lived there, but not of her own choice. "About a year ago, a ship I was on - with my friend -, it sank. I fell into the water, and when I woke up I was in the middle of the ocean. The Queen's Gambit, the ship I was on, it was gone. I was floating on some rubble for days, until another ship found me."

Nyssa jumped in. "The one by the island?"

Sara nodded, "it was a prison. They kept me on there for months."

"As a prisoner?"

"Not exactly," the young girl wasn't sure, "but I wasn't really free either. The man in charge on there, Ivo, he didn't keep me in a cage like he did all of the other prisoners; but I couldn't leave."

"So how did you get off?"

"A few months later, there was a new prisoner, which was pretty rare." She took a breathe. "I didn't realise I knew him until he was brought into Ivo's room."

"You knew him?" Nyssa looked shocked.

"It was my friend," Sara nodded again, "from the ship I was originally on."

Suddenly remembering, Nyssa queried. "Oliver?"

"How did you know that?" Sara tensed up, sitting up slightly higher in the bed. "I never told you his name."

"Sorry, sorry." Nyssa reassured, "it's just, when you woke up, that's what you yelled. You yelled his name."

"Oh." She glanced around the room, trying not to make eye contact with Nyssa as she felt her eyes welling up. "Can I get some water?"

"Of course." The assassin stood up. "Stay here, I'll only be a moment."

Nyssa turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sara alone. She sat up, loosely swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Sitting there, she considered running, which she was sure was a stupid idea considering it was more than likely that the two figures who had entered earlier were probably still guarding the door.

Instead, Sara stood up to look around; wincing as she put pressure on her still-wounded ankle. Maybe she could find something to help her escape or something that could show her where exactly Nanda Parbat was on a map.

The search proved useless, the room practically empty aside from a selection of lit candles that Sara had only just noticed were lighting the room and the table that still had the empty cup of medicine upon it.

Her ankle throbbing, she head back towards the bed. At that moment, Nyssa reentered the room. Sara wondered if Nyssa knew that she'd just got back onto the bed, though she was pretty sure she had saw her, Nyssa didn't mention it.

Nyssa now held a mug, and offered it to Sara as soon as she was beside the bed once again.

"Thanks." Sara took a sip, her mouth relieved as it was washed of the bitter taste of salt water that had been left there since she had fell from the Amazo. "Where was I?"

Nyssa replied, "your friend."

"Oh, yeah. Well, it was Oliver." Sara shifted slightly on the bed. "I guess, after the Gambit went down, he ended up on Lian Yu. That's the island."

"Where I found you?"

"Yeah." Sara paused, furrowing her eyebrows once again. "If you didn't know that, how did you find me? How did you know I was there?"

"I didn't." Nyssa continued, "my men and I were passing for another mission when we saw the sunken ship." She described the Amazo. "When I saw the island, I ordered my men to inspect it."

"Lucky. Anyway," Sara took another sip from the water, "Oliver and I ended up on the island together, but we had to get back on the Amazo and that's where we were." She placed the now-empty mug beside her on the bed, balancing it up against the side of her leg. "Until it sank."

The assassin glanced at a clock hanging above the bed, which Sara had not noticed was there until now. "And your friend?"

"Oliver went down with it." Sara could feel herself tearing up again, but resisted the urge to let even one drop roll down her cheek. Something she had became quite skillful at over the past year.

"I'm sorry." Nyssa felt bad for the younger girl, which was not something that she felt often. It was rare that a new apprentice would be brought into the League, especially someone as small and innocent as the girl sitting in front of her now.

Sara gave a quick, half-hearted smile to acknowledge Nyssa's apology.

The assassin inspected Sara's leg over before grabbing the mug from beside her, taking it to the table at the foot of the bed.

She gestured towards the injury, "how are you feeling?"

Sara glanced down at her own ankle, almost forgetting that it was even injured.

"Never been better." She joked, sitting up slightly as Nyssa got a closer look at the wound. 

"That seems more than unlikely." Nyssa seemed surprised, not understanding the blonde's blatant sarcasm. "The wound to your leg cut rather deep, you're lucky you only needed a few stitches." 

"Right," this made Sara grin slightly, though it was short-lived. "I forgot you're not familiar with sarcasm." 

Nyssa peered up at her, expecting a more serious response. "How's your leg?" 

Sara rolled her eyes. "I think it's okay. I must have bashed it against something when I fell from the Amazo, but it barely hurts anymore" It had all happened so suddenly, she couldn't remember the exact events that had taken place leading up to her being on the shore of Lian Yu. She glanced up to Nyssa, "looks like the medicine worked."

The other woman was relieved. "I told you it would help."

There were a few moments of silence as each of them thought of something to say. Though it was faint, Sara could still feel the cold dampness of her tank top clinging against her skin. It wasn't until now that she had realised that there was a large tear spread across the stomach of the tank top.

As if reading her mind, Nyssa interrupted Sara's thoughts. "I'll get you some new clothes." The blonde gathered the dark-haired woman must have spotted her looking down at her outfit.

Nyssa began to get up to leave the room once again, but Sara still had not got answers.

"Wait." She insisted, almost begging. "Nyssa, please. I need you to tell me why I'm here - why Ra's Al Ghul needs to see me."

The assassin sighed, giving in. Sara would find out soon enough anyway.

"Like I said, once you have healed you must be taken to him." Nyssa continued, reluctantly. "He will give you an ultimatum." She had said these words a thousand times before, but it had never once worried her until now. What if this girl chose wrongly? She was different, and she was good; a trait she didn't come across often in the League. "You will become an apprentice, or you will face execution. You must pick the first of the two."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos and comments on the previous chapters! It's always appreciated!

"I'm not ready."

"Yes, you are." The assassin encouraged. 

"I'm not, Nyssa." Sara fretted. "Please, I can't do this."

They both stood at the end of a hallway, a hallway that led to Ra's Al Ghul and the room where Sara's fate would be decided. 

"I can't do anything to stop this," Nyssa sighed. "It's okay to be nervous, but we've been over this a hundred times already. I've told you exactly what he will say to you, have I not?"

"I know." Sara nodded slightly, trying to compress all of the information that Nyssa had given to her through the night so not to forget any of it when she came face-to-face with Ra's Al Ghul. 

"You just need to convince him that you're serious about wanting to stay here," Nyssa glanced down the hallway, knowing that her father did not like to be kept waiting, "about wanting to become an apprentice."

The blonde spoke quietly, "and what if I'm not?" 

"We have been through this too." Nyssa glanced through the hallway that led to her father once again. "If you don't accept the offer you are given, you will face death."

"So? It wouldn't be the first time." Sara replied, hastily. "My family already think I'm dead. Maybe it'd be better if I just-"

One of the men dressed in black robes emerged in the hallway. Interrupting the blonde, he announced; "Ra's Al Ghul is ready to see you now."

Sara panicked, and Nyssa put a hand onto the smaller girls shoulder. "You can do this. I know it." 

Just as Nyssa said this, the man in the black robe had summoned Sara to follow him. Reassuringly, Nyssa slid her arm off of Sara's shoulder and prompted for her to follow the man. Nyssa trailed just a few feet behind them.

Just steps away from the room, Sara came to a standstill. "Wait!" She turned to face Nyssa. 

The two assassins stopped for Sara, but the man escorting her to the room was obviously becoming impatient. Nyssa didn't say anything as she waited for Sara to continue. 

"Sara." The younger girl exclaimed, causing Nyssa to furrow her eyebrows. She continued, "my name is Sara." 

The dark-haired woman smiled slightly, grateful that Sara now trusted her enough to tell her what her name was. 

"Okay, Sara." She gestured towards the room. "Remember; do not show your fear." Nyssa reminded, "this, do not be mistaken, is not just a decision of your fate," she paused, "it is a demonstration of his power. If he believes you are scared he will not let you stay here." 

The three of them entered into a large room, which Sara noticed was much larger than the one that she had woken up in just yesterday. This one was lit by a large chandelier that hung to the center of the ceiling, though there were several candles spread around the room as well. The room was still dark, which Sara gathered was to strike fear into whomever set foot in there - and for Sara, it was working. 

A dozen men, dressed almost identically to the one that had brought Sara into the room, were stood along the edges of the walls. All of their eyes lay on Sara. She wondered if any of them were Ra's Al Ghul, though she guessed not. None of them appeared to have any significance over one another.

The blonde could feel her heart pounding, the beads of sweat on her forehead breaking out. She felt like she was going to cry, or be sick; or both. 

As she was brought to the center of the room, Sara turned to check that Nyssa was still behind her, and was greeted with the brunette nodding her head reassuringly. 

On the far side of the room, in the direction that she was facing, Sara could see what looked like a hot tub made from stone, which she thought was odd. It seemed absurd that there would be such a thing in a place like this. 

Then, in front of her, a man stood facing away from Sara with his arms behind his back. Sara could tell this was Ra's Al Ghul. 

"Kneel before the demon's head." The assassin who had brought her into the room demanded, before joining the rest of the men to the side of the room - almost routinely. 

She had never knelt for anyone before, but Sara knelt down anyway; taking one last glance back to Nyssa, she put her right knee down so not to lean on her still-healing wound. 

The man turned around, his eyes looking straight into Sara's. 

"Sara Lance," his voice boomed, carrying throughout the whole room. The young girl didn't understand how he knew her name. "Once shipwrecked from the Queen's Gambit," she presumed he had got this information from Nyssa, and there must have been news all over the internet about the Gambit sinking, "then washed up along the shores of an island in the North China Sea." 

His voice was deep, and his accent much stronger than Nyssa's. His outfit different to the rest of the people Sara had seen in Nanda Parbat. 

"Tell me, child." He reached for a hand knife from his pocket, and held the blade towards Sara. "Why shouldn't I kill you?" 

The knife only a meter away from her neck, Sara froze, unsure of what to answer. Why shouldn't he? Sara recalled Nyssa telling her exactly what to say in this very situation, they had rehearsed it so many times yet the words still could not manage to escape her lips. 

"I-I-because..." Her voice was hoarse and weak, but she could hear Nyssa's words in her head telling her not to let Ra's believe that she was as scared as she was right now. "I am already dead to the world." Ra's raised his eyebrows, expecting more. "My life has no purpose anymore, but here," she paused, wondering if Nyssa was still behind her, "here it could." 

The man, who had took a step closer to her, towered over the smaller girl who was still on her knee. Still, he said nothing. Rather, he flipped the knife around and dug it into his own palm. 

Droplets of crimson coloured blood fell from his hand as he clenched his fist, causing it to worsen. Sara didn't understand why he was doing this, nor did she understand why the other men around the room didn't even flinch at their leader doing this to himself. 

"And you think you are strong enough," as if his hand was not bleeding onto the floor beside him, Ra's continued, "and worthy enough, to fight alongside my men?" He took a quick glance around the room, and Sara did the same. 

"Your daughter seems to think so." He looked surprised by this response. 

Sara watched as Ra's turned around, facing away from her like he had been when she first approached him. He walked up several stone steps up to what still looked like a hot tub to Sara. 

Taking the chance she had, Sara spun her head around in a search for Nyssa. Though she knew she still couldn't completely trust her, she gave her at least a tiny bit of comfort right now, when she really needed it. Nyssa was watching intently, but gave a reassuring half-smile upon noticing that Sara was looking at her. 

Nyssa had failed to mention this part of the ceremony. She wondered if this was new, if Ra's had never done this in one of these ceremony's before; if that was why Nyssa hadn't talked about how her father would cut into his hand like he had just now - because she didn't know he would do such a foolish thing. Sara didn't really believe this. Though she couldn't comprehend any possible reason as to why the man had hurt himself, Nyssa did not seem alarmed.

Sara's eyes focused back on the man whom she had been brought before as he sunk his torn-hand into the waters of the tub. 

As he brought his hand out again, Ra's held his palm out so that Sara could see it. 

Sara had to blink twice in order to believe what she had seen, as not only had the waters washed away all of the blood from where he had intentionally cut his hand, but the wound itself was nowhere to be seen. Gone. No mark, no scar, nothing - as if by magic. 

Triumphantly, Ra's walked back down the steps to Sara - who was still stunned from what she had just witnessed. 

Once again, his eyes met the younger girl's. 

It was all so surreal, that was the only word Sara could think of to describe this. All of this. She was surrounded by men in black robes and waters that 'magically' healed people. Just two days ago she would've laughed at this, it sounded like one of the dress-up games her and Laurel would've played as children. 

Sara couldn't help but release a snort of laughter. She couldn't help but consider that maybe she had died on that island, or maybe she was still dreaming after all. 

This seemed to startle everyone else that was in the room with her, and the blonde could feel all eyes on her once again - not that they had ever really left her. 

Nyssa couldn't help but smile, this girl had been through so much, and - one way or another - was about to give up her whole life, but still she managed to laugh. She couldn't help but care for her, and she longed to hear her laugh once more. 

"If you wish to become a member of the League of Assassins, you must swear to kill for me," one of the assassins to the side of the room took several steps forward, causing both Ra's and Sara to glance over - Ra's walked towards the man, but was still talking to Sara, "and to die for me." He took the assassins sword from his belt, now completely facing the man dressed just the same as the others. Much to Sara's surprise, Ra's plunged the sword into the man's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. "Do you understand?"

She didn't. She didn't understand why anyone would ever agree to such a deal, but she knew that she was not ready to die, not after everything that had happened to her. 

"I do." Sara replied, sounding as confident as she could whilst not really meaning the words. 

"You do not fear death?" Ra's head back towards Sara, still carrying the blood-soaked sword. 

"I've died before," she looked down towards the sword, panicking as he brought the blade up to her neck. "More than once."

Still wielding the weapon, he stated; "you must renounce your past life." Ra's continued, "are you willing to do so?" 

She wasn't. She wanted nothing more than to be back at home. To be the Sara that her family had known, the one that hadn't dropped out of college for a guy; that hadn't cheated with her sister's boyfriend and died because of it. 

"I am." She looked back up to Ra's, and tried to ignore the blade that was almost piercing her skin. 

Nyssa hoped that her father believed Sara, that he was not going to slash her neck any second now even if the blonde accepted the offer - she knew it would not be the first time he would've done so. 

"Do you swear your loyalty to I, the Demon's head, and to the League of Assassins?" 

He raised the sword slightly, causing it to break into the skin of Sara's neck and tiny droplets of blood began to trail down the sword as it waited impatiently for her answer. 

"Yes." Sara confirmed. "I do." 

After a moment of consideration, Ra's dropped the sword to the ground. A wave of relief came from Sara, her lips parting, finally letting out a small breathe. Nyssa felt the same relief and they both looked back up to her father as he began to talk again. 

"You are now one of the League's own." He announced, "my daughter," gesturing towards Nyssa as he continued, "she will train you to become alike all of my men here." 

Sara glanced at the assassins around the room. They were lifeless, emotionless, and she feared ever having to be like them - ever having to kill like them. 

"You have until tomorrow morning to decide upon your new identity." Ra's walked towards the door, but turned one last time before leaving. "Your training begins then."

He was gone. 

The assassin who had initially brought her into the room approached Sara once more, but came to a halt on Nyssa's command to do so. 

The brunette then offered the blonde, who was still perched on the floor, a hand as she could see that she was struggling to lift herself up as this meant putting pressure on her injury. Sara gratefully accepted. 

Gesturing for Sara to follow, Nyssa led the newly-made apprentice back into the hallway that they had entered from but did not say a word until out of the hall. 

"You did well." Nyssa encouraged, speaking slightly more formally than she had been prior to the ceremony. "I told you, you would, did I not?" 

Feeling for something, for somebody, like she did Sara would not be seen as a good thing by her father; in the League; it would be seen as a weakness. 

Sara only just caught onto the fact that she was shaking like a leaf, though she presumed she had been doing so since Ra's turned around. 

"Sara, you did great." Nyssa continued, "trust me."


End file.
